UNESCO has officially inscribed Ireland’s practice of dry stone wall construction on the UNESCO representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

The listing was officially announced on Thursday during the 19th session of the UNESCO intergovernmental committee for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage, which is currently taking place in Asunción, Paraguay.

This recognition was part of an international application, led by Ireland, which also recognised similar cultural traditions in Andorra, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg under the inscription 'dry stone construction, knowledge & techniques'.

Dry stone construction is Ireland's fifth inscription on the UNESCO representative list. Ireland’s first nomination - uilleann piping - was officially inscribed in 2017, followed by hurling in 2018, Irish harping in 2019 and Irish falconry in 2021.

Ken Curran of the Dry-Stone Wall Association of Ireland said: “Inscription on the UNESCO representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity is wonderful news for all of the communities involved in the safeguarding of the practice here.

"The communities in Ireland join an ever-increasing international community of intangible cultural heritage.

"Resultant connections are being formed, knowledge-sharing is taking place, the safeguarding of the practice is being strengthened and the wonderful culture of dry-stone construction is being celebrated more and more.”

Importance of dry stone walls

Dry stone walls are an intrinsic part of the Irish countryside and agriculture, with this now being officially recognised.

Ribbons of dry stone walls flow throughout the country, but particularly along western coastal counties.

Before the advent of fencing with stakes and wire, stone walls were the main method of enclosure of animals and the definition of borders between farms.

In areas where stone is prevalent, the creation of stone walls also effectively helped to clear the fields for cultivation. The higher the volume of stones, the smaller the fields tended to be to aid in the clearance, as can be seen on the Aran Islands.

Earlier this year, the Irish Farmers Journal featured one stone wall restoration in Co Galway. Sheep and beef farmer Pat Lynch restored 444m of a stone wall on his farm in Eyrecourt by himself over the space of a four-year period.